2012 - A Year in Numbers

Some cyclists love numbers. Numbers can define what we do and how we’ve done it.

We all seem to throw numbers around -  in many cases without even having to define the unit of measurement.

For example, I could ride a 10 or a 25, aspire to do a 12 and manage a short 1:04 and a lot of like-minded people would know exactly what I was talking about.

I like the numbers and although I don’t ride for their sake, they help me understand what I have done – where I’ve done well, where I am lacking and where I can improve – and they help me plan for the following year – most of my 2013 targets have a numerical quality. Either a bigger or smaller number. You know which is which.

So in review, the top line. For me;

2012 = 5549

While...

2011 = 4155

And...

2010 = 3187

That’s progression and it makes me happy.

2012 was my 2^nd season of time trialling and I managed to knock 2.12 off my 10, 6.58 off my 25 and 7.34 off my 50. In 2013, I will be targeting a 100 and a 12 and hoping for another 1.00 off my 10, 3.00 off my 25 and 6.00 off my 50.

Looking at my Garmin Connect, it will tell me that the 5549 for 2012 encompassed 309hrs on the bike at 16.5mph. With an average HR of 136bpm, I climbed 27,000m and burned 258,000Cal. This included 37 races, 4 Reliability rides and 235 other training and leisure rides. I also used the bike as part of my commute to work 64 times.

Financially I made £35 in prize money, and spent a classified amount on entry fees, kit and consumables. In this game, the numbers don't always add up.

A Testing Summer

Its been a while since I last did this. January 13th to be precise.

Following all the late season Cyclocross excitement, including a ride at The Nationals and some great (for me) form in the last couple of Eastern League races things kind of stopped for a bit.

Well, I kept on riding as you do at that time of year with little or no real purpose. The racing highlight of each weekend replaced with a Reliability Ride (or Liability Ride as my mate Martin calls them) here or there.

Once the clocks changed, that was it... The Evening 10s recommenced and I started hanging out with old blokes in laybys with pointy hats. They wear skinsuits too.

I pretty much spent my riding Spring and Summer time trialling. Most of the early autumn seems to be going that way too, despite the distant, faint call of the new Cyclocross season.

I like time trialling. I like it so much, I even bought a pointy hat this year. And a skinsuit.

Its simple. You don't have to pore over pages of results and relative placings to work out if you've had a good year. If you're going faster on the same courses and distances as last year or earlier in the season, you're having a good year.

Fortunately for me I have been. Also I break fewer things when I am time trialling.